Mother Teresa School students treated to unique play

The shocking moment of the play when the Evil Stepmother, Stepsisters and the Prince all find out the “maid” was Cinderella, with help from the narrator. Photos submitted.

The students from Ecole Mother Teresa School were treated to a unique performance thanks to Dufflebag Theatre Tuesday afternoon.

The “nearly famous” Dufflebag Theatre performed their own rendition of Cinderella for the school on Feb. 27. The twist that has made the Ontario-based company famous is the addition of audience members to the cast.

Right when the audience is settled in for what is sure to be a humorous time, due to the company’s tradition of weaving humour and wit into each story, an audience member is asked to come on stage and take up a role.

The addition of an audience member, or members as the case may have it, creates a unique performance each and every time.

Dufflebag Theatre is known for weaving an interactive experience using popular fairy tales and Shakespearean classics.

The company has been around since 1992, when it started at the London International Children’ Festival in London, Ont. Since then the company has performed over 600 family-friendly shows across North America.

On top of the large repertoire done in English, the company also has a few shows which are bilingual, “just for fun.”

The wide range of shows encompasses tales that can be told at anytime, and some that are more seasonal.

The show list includes: A Christmas Carol, Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Macbeth, Peter Pan, Romeo and Juliet, Robin Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White, The Three Musketeers, The Three Little Pigs and T’was the Night Before Christmas.

The Dufflebag Theatre website says the goal of each performance is to make the show as enjoyable as possible.

“Every one of our shows is adapted from a pre-existing story — whether it be a fairy tale, a novel or a play. And although we love the original versions, we like to make our adaptations as wacky, silly and hilarious as humanly possible. So we of course read up on the original versions before launching into creating our own,” the website reads.

The Prince and his messenger try the magic slipper, replaced with a black boot for the show, on Cinderella, played by one of the students from Mother Teresa School.

The Evil Stepmother gives Cinderella the long, and exaggerated list of chores she must finish before she is possibly able to attend the Royal Ball.